\n<\/p>\n
\u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI had never heard the song before this year and it has stuck with me for two reasons. First, it\u2019s absolutely ferocious and shows Devo to be a super tight rock \u2019n\u2019 roll band, far beyond \u2018Whip It.\u2019 The second is how the opaque meaning of the song captures how I feel about so many things that happened in 2024. Are the lyrics part of Devo\u2019s de-evolution theory, and we\u2019re all just doomed to go hopelessly backward? Or is the line \u2018twist away the gates of steel\u2019 about hope, and we really do have it within us to overcome the worst aspects of who we are? I still don\u2019t know.\u201d \u2014 Chris Orcutt, Wayland, Mass.<\/em><\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe song is older than I am, but for some reason on a recent listen it stuck with me and filled a gap that newer music is struggling to approach. With everything going on in the world, it feels like the perfect time for angry, grungy music to make a comeback, but a lot of recent attempts feel too restrained or too scared of straying from prevailing pop formulas. There\u2019s nothing restrained here. The song simmers, and then explodes. It\u2019s so satisfying.\u201d \u2014 Shereen Shafi, Baltimore<\/em><\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis song has always resonated with me because it describes so excruciatingly the struggles of those with addictions. It\u2019s also just one of the best songs from one of the best albums ever. I got to see Joni in Hollywood this year, so that added a layer of resonance.\u201d \u2014 Gabriel Lawson, Dayton, Ohio<\/em><\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor decades, this iconic performance could only be heard from a subpar tape source \u2014 until now. Rudy Van Gelder\u2019s second, superior tape machine captured the stunning sound of that night in breathtaking detail. In July 2024, Blue Note released these recordings and gave them the reissue they deserve, with every note as alive as the moment it was played. You\u2019ll hear the intimacy of the room, the texture of Wilbur Ware\u2019s bass, the fire and quiet complexity of Elvin Jones\u2019s drums and Rollins\u2019s tenor saxophone as if he\u2019s playing just for you. Listen and feel the Vanguard come alive.\u201d \u2014 Walter Gross, Brooklyn<\/em><\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter 21 years in a demanding and rewarding career, this year I set the course for a change: a life immersed in nature and small community, being an adventurer instead of a success. This song makes me yearn toward horizons with every fiber of my being. In a world where normal is disintegrating, it is grounding.\u201d \u2014 Kyle Campbell, Berlin<\/em><\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n5. Devo: \u201cGates of Steel\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
6. PJ Harvey: \u201cRid of Me\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
7. Joni Mitchell: \u201cCold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
8. Sonny Rollins: \u201cSoftly, as in a Morning Sunrise (Afternoon Take, Live at the Village Vanguard 1957)\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
9. Wormy: \u201cBig Mountain\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
10. Jackson Browne: \u201cFor a Dancer\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n